The vicarious Feis Ile sessions


June 3, 2021

The vicarious Feis Ile sessions
Today Kilchoman

Celebrating Islay and Feis Ile from Whisky Fun Towers, with carefully selected whiskies from most distilleries, while we're all dreaming of 2022...

I was at the distillery's great inauguration and it was great fun. The people were great, some very funny. I'll always remember the funny expressions on the faces of many a great old Ileach, including some funny yet great well-established distillers who were sniggering in the great fun corners. Good, I promise I'll try not to use both the word 'great' and the word 'fun' in these tasting notes…

Kilchoman 'Loch Gorm 2020' (46%, OB)

One of my favourite, if not my favourite Kilchomanian expression, despite the sherry that's inside – they do still use sherry, don't they? Now I haven't tried Loch Gorm since the 2017 version (no less than WF 89). Colour: deep gold. Nose: sure, naturally, of course, this pretty Lagavulinian tar, these new wellies, these black cigars, these rollmops and smoked herring, the olives - most black, and black olives matter! (S., zero points for that one) – then all kinds of brine. They're mastering this style to perfection. Mouth: a lot of salted tar, or tarry salt, then lemon and just seawater. Huge loads of ashes too, as if they had emptied the remains of an old kiln and added the ashes to these casks. Finish: long, salt very ashy. Totally huge salty liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: I suppose they haven't harmed any red wines here, and perhaps noy even PX. Still brilliant, juts perhaps not as fat(tish) than earlier expressions but I'm not comparing them here while only comparison is reason.
SGP:367 - 89 points.

Kilchoman 'Fino Sherry Matured' (46%, OB, Batch 3, 2020)

This is a vatting of 11 first fill casks +1 refill (LOL) seasoned with Fino by bodega José & Miguel Martin in Jerez. Colour: straw. Nose: green olives these time, touch of mustard, fresh – not green – walnuts, lambswool, dill and coriander, seawater, then rather rounder fruits, greengages, other fruits, also sunflower and sesame oils, plasticine… Mouth: rather wilder than the Loch Gorm, saltier yet, almost a little acidic, with star fruits and granny smith, brine and ashes, raw cocoa, 90% chocolate, ground coffee beans, some bitter liquorice wood, plus, this time, green walnuts in abundance. Finish: rather long, sharp, ashy and bitter. More liquorice wood, nocino liqueur, stuff like that. The idea of 'fino' was perfectly transposed. Comments: brilliant, I just liked the Loch Gorm a tad better because it was a tad easier. I know, I know… But both are not totally dissimilar.
SGP:367 - 88 points.

Kilchoman 2010/2019 'Vintage' (48%, OB, 15,000 bottles) Kilchoman 2010/2019 'Vintage' (48%, OB, 15,000 bottles)

Kilchoman 2010/2019 'Vintage' (48%, OB, 15,000 bottles)

42 barrels plus 3 butts in this one (sources diverge on those numbers), that's about the right proportions in my book. Nah… Colour: straw. Nose: gentler and rounder, probably narrower, but also cleaner. More classic chalk, wool, lemons, seawater, oysters, hessian… Mouth: just cross the island towards the East and you may find a twin distillate (although distilleries are opposed). Ashes, seafood, grapefruits, brine, green olives, and some sweetness, around jelly babies. The red ones. Finish: medium, ultra-clean, brine-y. Barbecued marshmallows – remember when we were boy scouts? Comments: another excellent one, just perhaps a tad less profound? More consensual?
SGP:467 - 87 points.

We had an easy start but some whackier single cask wineskies may soon arrive, we'll see…

Kilchoman '100% Islay 10th Edition' (50%, OB, 12,400 bottles, 2020)

Loch Gorm used to defeat these ones fair and square in my book, but that was quite some years ago. It's true that we haven't properly tackled Kilchoman for years. Colour: white wine. Nose: millimetric, ultra-precise, beautifully simple, and rather more medicinal than the others. There's also a waxy/citrusy character that cannot not make us think of some vintages of Clynelish, only with more smoke, you're right. That's intriguing… With water: no, water made it much brinier and more on grass and seaweed. Mouth (neat): gentle and indeed medicinal. Notes of 'cider pears', iodine, new fabric, then greengages and gooseberries. No Clynelish in sight this time. With water: oh, citrus and waxes! And a lot of salt. Finish: rather long, on salted limoncello blend with Wulong ta, perhaps. Comments: have this one undiluted on the nose and diluted on the palate. That's easier to do than the other way 'round, is it not!
SGP:367 - 85 points.

Kilchoman 13 yo 2007/2020 (55.3%, OB for Max & Julia, fresh bourbon barrel, cask #69, 215 bottles)

A single barrel, that's still pretty innocuous… Colour: straw. Nose: very 'young', on smoked pears, apples, with some hessian and raw wool, smoky grist, a lot of creosote, new rubber, a lot of iodine, then growing notes of roots, especially cut celeriac, also fresh turmeric, white carrots… All things that I tend to like and that I would happily pour over sushi. With water: shoe polish and tar remover, then some gentler hay wine, a sublime drink they make on the other side of the Vosges mountains (needs to be served at 8°C, having said that). Mouth (neat): an excellent young peaty make. I agree it is not young, but it does feel young, extremely ashy, raw, quarrelsome, almost ethanoly… That's all a little surprising. With water: gets very ashy, on the other hand if you like ashy malts, you could literally drown it, it would still maintain its position. Finish: long, very salty, pure, and whatever that means, very 'Islay'. Comments: bright, slightly boisterous, rustic Kilchoman with an adolescent mentality.
SGP:467 - 88 points.

Kilchoman 8 yo 2011/2019 (56.3%, OB, for Mizunara Hong Kong, Madeira finish, cask #767)

Always 50ppm peat right after malting. Colour: deep gold. Nose: typical rather bold notes of green walnuts and mustard that you could sometimes mistake for manzanilla, or at least fino. That mingles well with heavy peat because it's virtually without any sweetness, whilst it's hugely on seawater and iodine. Having said that, after a good five minutes, some notes of bananas flambéed have been unleashed… Was it actually sweet malmsey? Let's see… With water: I could not tell you. Huge iodine with touches of wasabi and green walnuts, plus whiffs of cowshed. Tends to become very farmy, which isn't surprising when you knew the place. Mouth (neat): punchy, peppery and sweet, this time you do feel the wine's influence. Mustard, toothpaste, williams pears, pepper and ashes are playing with your gums. Unusual. With water: sweeter touches, I'd almost mention sultanas. One day, we'll really need to try to peat-smoke raisins. Finish: long and rather mustardy. Black radish in the aftertaste. Comments: huge, almost belligerent dram that will simply work on us. It's just that we won't down a pint of this. I mean, in one go (what a braggart!)
SGP:367 - 88 points.

Shall we go on for a little while? Between us, we were having a lot of Ks, but shh…

Kilchoman 2007/2019 (55.6%, OB for Malts of Scotland, bourbon barrel, cask #151, 236 bottles)

Nothing could go wrong with this bottling for a great German (excuse me, Westphalian) whisky house. Colour: gold. Nose: pure, plain, oily, on grist, chalk, lemon, fresh bread, some grassy smoke (garden bonfire) and a fermentary side (weissbeer). With water: same. And damp earth under your boots after a long walk to Machir. Mouth (neat): excellent, on lemon juice, chalky sauvignon blanc, and with clearly something of that big distillery nearer to Port Askaig. Especially ashes. With water: excellent, with kippers and anchovies chiming in. Finish: rather long, very salty and extremely coastal. The most coastal of them all this far. Comments: ausgezeichnet. Excuse me, I mean, excellent.
SGP:457 - 89 points.

Looks like we're flirting with the 90-line again now…

Kilchoman 2007/2019 (56.5%, OB, for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary, bourbon, cask #307)

What, I hadn't tried this one? Colour: white wine. Nose: pure, crystalline colza oil with lemon juice, oysters and jut damp earth and peat smoke. Rather constructivist, almost Malevitchian in its utter simplicity. I have a good feeling here. With water: bandages, calx and chalk. Mouth (neat): ultra-tight liquoricy and mentholy smoke with chalk, lemon and sourdough. Oh and ashes. With water: a lemony blade. This time, perfection's been achieved. Finish: huge simplicity and demonstrativeness, I would say. Comments: Jansenist malt whisky. I don't think you could do much better with a young Kilchoman. Well all Kilchomans are young anyway.
SGP:467 - 90 points.

By the way, we keep thinking of John McLellan, who went to Kilchoman after his wonderous Bunnahabhain days.

Kilchoman 2011/2017 '100% Islay' (59.4%, OB for Tasttoe, bourbon, cask #486, 266 bottles)

This should be relatively rugous and rustic, but we're not immune from good surprises... Colour: light white wine (indeed). Nose: vanilla and marshmallows, with drops of williams pear liqueur (we make the best in Alsace! Of course we do!) and some kind of grassier Turkish delights. Well not sure about that part. What's clear is that this is by far the least peaty K. we've tried so far. I mean, today. With water: we might still be in near-newmake territory and what's funny is that the more water you add, the more it would bite your nose. Mouth: very sweet, with some smoked bubblegum. I'm sure no one's ever tried to smoke bubblegum (maybe the Mexicans?) but I'm sure you get the picture. With water: very young but very good. It's z style. Sweet branches, roots, manioc, plantains, salted almonds, sweetened gentian, (yeah, gentian liqueur)… Finish: long, sweet and smoky at the same time. Comments: the sweetest of them all. Flying pretty high, already.
SGP:557 - 86 points.

Kilchoman 2012/2019 (56.3%, for Holy Dram Israel, Madeira cask finish, cask #180, 258 bottles)

Aren't all drams holy? Colour: deep gold. Nose: typical Madeira, and I mean Madeira as in whisky, as Glenmo used to do it when they first installed large-scale finishings. I remember the Madeira used to be my favourite (whilst the Burgundy, if I remember well, was plainly putrid rotgut). So, walnut cake straight from the oven, with touches of curry and mustard. With water: the saltiness comes out and once again, Madeira could be mistaken for fino or even manzanilla. Mouth (neat): very good, very well integrated, with some added caramel that's been salted and mixed with ground pecans and peanuts. Always some softer mustard, curry and walnuts too. With water: gets softer but as tense as ever at the same time, with the peat keeping all this dry and tight. Olives. Excellent. Finish: pretty long, I'm reminded of a recipe by Tupperware (yep), which used to be called the 'Olive Cake'. A cake de la muerte, I tell you. Comments: whether this is holy or not, and boy do I usually find finishings inferior, this wee K. just rocks. Well finished, would I say.
SGP:567 - 89 points.

It's about time to put an end to this Kilchomadness. Perhaps with another Loch Gorm?

Kilchoman 'Loch Gorm 2018' (46%, OB, 15,000 bottles)

Boy, no less than 19 oloroso butts have been used here, as it seems. But who's counting? Colour: deep gold. Nose: no, whatever people say, and whichever the prices, the Loch Gorms are just there, sitting on the top. And once again, I find this one close to Lagavulin 16, even I may have to charter a jet and fly incognito to Islay next time; indeed there's not a sacrifice we'll not make to get there. Perfect tar, salted liquorice, and walnuts. Mouth: absolutely excellent, salty, walnutty, with notes of vegetables (well, artichokes and eggplants) and the most wonderful salty and smoky earthiness. Finish: long, on salted and peated oloroso (S., that's the whole idea in the first place, no?) Comments: there's something that just clicks with this 80€ expression. I would say this should be the flagship expression, so Kilchoman's Lagavulin 16. Didn't I just sign my death warrant?
SGP:367 - 89 points.

Good, we'll keep all the other Ks we've got for our next K session

(Merci Nicolas, merci Tim)

Over to Angus in Edinburgh...

Kilchoman 13 yo 2007/2021 (53.9%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, cask #197, bourbon, 204 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: surprisingly gentle and aromatic nose that starts on more mineral aspects like bath salts, beach pebbles, chalk and a rather crisp impression of trailing bonfire smoke. I also find some lime juice, white flowers and beach sand. A very lovely first impression. With water: sandalwood, wet rope, fresh linens, chalk again and crushed seashells. Fresh, pure and still displaying this subtle mineral side that's very attractive. Mouth: the cask is a little more assertive on arrival, quite a bit of creamy and sweet peat, creosote, natural tar, smoked vanilla, white pepper, hessian and smoked olive oil. A nice switch around from the initial nose. With water: a little sharper and more tense, which works very well. Some seawater, grapefruit, hay loft and a touch of salted mead and preserved lemon. Finish: long, brightly smoky, peppery, saline, lightly farmy with more of these hay loft impressions and a little coal smoke. Comments: Kilchoman is really hitting its stride with these batches. I find this one extremely approachable, easy and charming but with a good level of complexity that keeps things entertaining.
SGP: 466 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Kilchoman we've tasted so far